Armed Peace
by IrresistibleEvil
Summary: The death of her family, a kidnapping, a cursed necklace and the horrible twists of destiny bring the young thief Adeena and her brother's assassin Marik together. The complot and passion keep growing, but so does the awaiting danger. [Marik x OC]
1. Chapter 1: Vicious Violet

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters, no matter how much I like to believe I own the ass of Marik Ishtar cough That would be thegreat Kazuki Takahashi...the lucky bastard. I'm not worth suing over either; my most valuable possesion is my Yaoi Paddle.

This is a MaRik Ishtar story. I know that's officially the name of the yami, but in this story it is not. Why? Because I say so, and that sweet hikari ass is way hotter anyways ;)

AN: This storyis set inAncient Egypt, please keep that in mind while you're reading this. It'snot thesame storyline and timeline either. Marik is not 16 years of age in thisfanfic, but he's twenty. Yes kids, when you set sanity aside you can break all the rules!

The main character is an OC, but that doesn't mean she's your typical super-hero, jackie chan like mary-sue. I hate those pesky Miss America's that pop up everywhere. Now that's out of the way: please enjoy reading the first chapter of Armed Peace :)

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"Hold that piece of scum!" The sound of boisterous screams echoed through the tiny Egyptian alleys at that early Saturday morning, drawing the attention of the people that roamed the streets, the reactions to this tumult all but positive, for it was only second hour since Ra was risen. It wasn't an unusual happening, just another incautious fool who got his valuable possessions stolen. People should know better with all the trash crawling around town these days.

"Come and get me darling!" A second female voice was heard above the outrage, sounding strangely playful and cheery despite the situation, as if the thief wasn't being chased down by someone, who was on a murderous rampage. In fact, the owner of the voice was quite amused with the whole situation, laughing and yelling as she sprinted through the slums she knew so well, replying the offensive remarks of her latest victim by blowing a few kisses at him every once in a while.

Offering the furious man one last mocking wink the criminal jumped onto a ramshackle scaffold that was currently occupied by a few men that were renovating a small building, disappearing from sight as she climbed on the roof, leaving the man screaming and fuming by himself as he wished her 'demonic' soul a painful one-way trip to the cursed Realms of Seth.

"I'm a genius!" the young woman praised herself as she took the leather wallet out of her pocket, checking its content, snorting at the disappointing loot. "Pah, guy got all worked up for a few coins." She stuffed the silver into her ragged cloak, throwing the now worthless wallet over the ledge, hoping it would find its way back to its owner, preferably by hitting him in the head.

Though the day had started with quite a commotion the youth felt relaxed, humming some old Arabian lullaby as she allowed the sunlight to touch her features, taking off the hood of the cloak that had hid her face from any suspicious eyes, or interested eyes for that matter. The fact that this streetwise female was a mere street rat didn't decrease her beauty. She couldn't be older than eighteen winters, though the life experience and intelligence that shone in her emerald orbs would mispresent this. With a delicate and lithe build such as hers, it would be easy to think of her as a weak creature, but bore muscles proved wrong, for this Arabian was a skilled swordfighter, gaining a large amount of experience throughout the years by just taking care of herself, having developed a sixth sense for danger and threats as she struggled to keep herself alive living in the dangerous slums.

Tucking some of her ebony black locks behind her ears she sighed, exhausted due to the lack of food and sleep that had finally started to take its toll, the pain in her sore muscles getting harder to ignore with each day that passed. Her fair sun-kissed bronze skin covered in a thin layer of dirt, the common result of a hard day of work, just as her clothes that were shredded and worn, the material not as flawless as it had once been. Her sense of style made her look quite outlandish. The simple black cloth that was wrapped around her upper body emphasized her chest, but left the toned muscles of her midriff bare for wandering eyes to see -- eyes that would most likely be stabbed out if caught. The thick skintight material that hugged her curved hips was of the darkest shade of maroon, the ends stuffed in comfortable black boots that sheeted her feet, providing ample of space to keep daggers. A thin belt overlapped her hip, bearing a scabbard that enclosed her jagged sword, the cloak that finished the eye-catching ensemble hiding this rather frightening item from sight.

Jumping off the building without the slightest trace of fear -- and even managing to land gracefully -- the youth made her way to the center of the city, where she knew the daily market was already well underway despite the early hour.

'Time for breakfast!'

Two hours and a few not so friendly encounters later both her wallet and stomach were finally satisfied, the thief now strolling through the somewhat quieter streets, having left the market behind her a few blocks ago. The narrow streets were filled with garbage and the stench of human fluids and excrements, the sewerage being in an extremely poor condition. This were the notorious slums, where only the vile amongst the vile dared to set foot, the place where only the most misfortunate souls would dwell. It seemed everything that could make this part of town the least safe and desirable was present.

The female's face contorted with disgust, the horrible smell assaulting her nose, having never really grown accustomed to the stench that lingered here. The moist soil sopped beneath her boots, the dirty water flowing on the roads as usual, nobody bothering to remove it. Mosquitoes and insects swarmed around, spreading all kinds of frightful diseases, but not nearly as frightful as the high death rate they caused. The conditions in the whole area were so repulsive the woman often wondered how she managed to spend so much time here, but the sight of the familiar bedraggled house silently answered the question.

The curtain lifted before she'd even got the chance to call out to the house's inhabitant, the owner probably having seen her coming minutes ago, for she was always waiting and watching in front of her window.

"Adeena, honey!" the old woman that had appeared behind the curtain happily exclaimed, pulling the said girl into a tight, affectionate embrace. "Dear Ra, girl you look terrible! Don't tell me you've been after that scoundrel again. Look at yourself dear, you're practically falling apart! I've been worry-"

"Hi to you too, Mel." the female called Adeena interrupted her, smiling at the small woman in front of her, who was currently muttering something about teenagers having no idea how to take care of themselves. Despite her lively appearance the grey-haired widow was already sixty years of age, the thin lines that wrought her face betraying the large life experience she had. She stood only 5 feet tall, but the confident way she carried herself made up for this disadvantage, as did her stormy grey eyes that always shimmered with kindness and friendly warmth.

"Sorry, sweetie, it's just that I've been so worried about you lately. I haven't seen your face in weeks! I even prepared your favorite meal last week, you know, the stew you're so fond of, but you didn't even show up for your usual visit. Oh well, Aki knew what to do with your share, the boy shoved the whole bowl inside at once! Poor kid was sick for days." Mel laughed at the memory as she invited Adeena inside the house, offering her a seat. The woman quickly sat down on one of the few cushions present in the room, that was, although obviously quite old and poorly decorated, still neat and dustless.

"I'm glad to see you're still alive." Mel finally said, this time softer, sincere concern evident in her tone of voice.

Adeena answered this with a weak smile, obviously sharing this opinion. "I guess I like living life on the edge, Mel."

"You should stop pushing yourself so hard. I might be joking around a lot, but I haven't been more serious in my life then when it comes to the apple of my eye." The aged woman paused to chuckle at her choice of words. "Let it go, child. He probably left the city weeks ago. And no matter how much it hurts me to say this, but--" Another pause. "You won't be getting Mishka back."

The only response Mel got was the sound of shattering pottery, the beer she'd just offered her guest spilling onto the floor, followed by the flapping and swaying of the curtain.

"Why won't you let it go?" the widow spoke to the emptiness, shaking her head disapprovingly as she stood up to clean up the mess.

Fuming, the enraged teen stomped through the streets, kicking up piles of trash in her anger, unshed tears shining in her eyes as she tried to regain her composure that had just horribly shattered. 'Idiot!' she mentally scolded herself for acting so childish in front of Mel, especially when she perfectly knew the woman was right. Mishka was gone. The distressed thief suddenly felt a deep injection of regret, feeling extremely guilty towards the only person she had left in this cruel world. The woman had treated her and her brother like her own children, giving the vagrants food, water and most of all mental support and comfort when their parents had been killed by the notorious King of Thieves.

Dark dreams had haunted her, leaving her in cold sweat and with insanely fast heartbeat, the fear even following her during the day. She'd never been good at letting things go, this was just one of the many examples. The orphan shuddered at the thoughts of her beloved parents and the horrible images that came with them. These memories always were so vivid that the smell of blood seemed to accompany her as she remembered the way she'd found her parent's mangled corpses. The once so pretty and flawless face of her mother barely recognizable as a result of the lugubrious slaughter, the body skinned from nearly all it's flesh, a process that probably had been done while the woman was still breathing. Her brave father that had dared to stand up against this wicked villain had been discarded of his head and limbs, the entire floor beneath him slippery with his blood. The way her little brother had screamed at the sickening sight still ran through her head, a dreadful symphony that made her want to heave up her meal even now. Though the damage that had been brought upon her parents was extremely high, nothing had been stolen by the Thief King.

Nothing, except for the necklace around the neck of Adeena's mother.

It was a miracle this woman was still standing, for it took a remarkable amount of mental strength to cope with these visions every night, especially when they had already been disturbing her slumber for two years.

Then, after two years of cheating, stealing and numerous of other crimes the two orphans had to commit in order to survive, the only family member the girl had got left was taken away from her right in front of her eyes. Though she saw the knife being slammed into her brother's chest, though she heard the screams of agony, the sound of her brother pleading and begging for his attacker to spare his life, though she saw the light in Mishka's eyes fade with every stab that was delivered, she did nothing. Nothing. She'd just been standing there as if paralyzed, only to catch Mishka's gaze for one last time when it was already too late, his eyes growing wide in recognition. His last breath escaped from his mouth along with the name of his sister, making his assassin aware of her presence.

Then she'd looked into the most intense eyes she'd ever seen. Two bottomless pools that didn't betray the slightest sign of emotion. Vicious violet. Though she'd escaped from his gaze and a horrible death, the image of those eyes still haunted her, adding to the agony she already had to bear with through the night.

Whoever this man was who'd killed her brother... his life would end soon.

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IE: Review for the love of homicidal crazy-ass psycho's, or else I'll come and stab your eyes out with Marik's rod...and I'm NOT talking about the Millenium Item.


	2. Chapter 2: How Death Gets To You

Hello there and welcome to part two of armed peace :) The firs paragraph contains quite some gore descriptions so if that's not your cup of tea you should skip it. Enjoy!

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Three weeks prior

A sight such as this would commonly cause hysteria, grief, and above all a rather disturbing feeling of nausea. But this individual was all but common. The figure, which was currently beholding this nearly inhuman scenery, had changed a lot in a short week. As a matter of fact, she'd changed so much that the person she was currently staring at wouldn't even recognise her if he'd been still alive. The young woman silently stood there, her expression just as cold-blooded as the way her sibling was murdered, her boots sinking into a thick substance that was not mud as she approached the source where it had oozed. Ignoring the stench of dissolution and rotting flesh she crouched down next to the tiny victim, reaching out to gently run her fingers through the sticky black hair, the only feature that was still recognizable a week after the screams of this once so beautiful boy had died out. His skin was blazing red due to the intensity of the sun it had been exposed to, the few tears that silently spilled down her face and onto his unmoving form almost hissing in contact with his frighteningly hot skin. Rage pitted in her stomach as she pushed a few bangs out of his face, swallowing hard in disgust as the large blisters became visible, the transparent liquid that seeped out of them coating her shaking fingers as she faintly stroked his crusted cheeks. His eyelids were still open, the eyes rolled into the back of his head, the vibrant brown color that should have been visible replaced by an eerie white instead, staring up at her, staring and staring, the blood vessels straining, finally getting a response out of her.

She whirled around to empty her upset stomach, its content joining the gory pool beneath her, the sour smell assaulting her nose, causing her to heave up even more violently. Once she'd emptied her stomach she chocked back her anger and screams of frustration that threatened to escape her now dry and sore throat. Regret and guilt stung her heavy heart as she finally took the mangled corpse into her arms, rocking the lithe body back and forth as she softly murmured the lullaby her mother used to sing them both asleep with. She truly wanted to scream until she could speak no more, cry her eyes out until there were no more tears to shed, pound her fists against the walls until her blood stained them or do at least something that could represent how much her heart ached, but she couldn't. A strange emptiness loomed inside her, seeming to repress all her emotions but her fierce hatred that had started to surface, making her feel as if she was a complete stranger to herself, having lost control over her feelings. Having pushed all the questions of why her life had filled with such agony to a far corner of her troubled mind, deciding that wallowing in her pathetic self-pity wasn't going to make this any easier, she devoted her thoughts completely on how to avenge her brother's death.

Thoughts of her sword splitting the skull of that murderer made her hands prickle with dark desire, eager to be stained with the blood of violet-eyed stranger. For a moment she lost herself in visions so dark and demonic she shocked herself when she snapped out of them, wondering how she'd feel when she actually had to kill the man, the fact that a cruel smile was now involuntary tugging at her lips making her feel slightly scared of herself. It took a fool not to be afraid of the expression that had been clearly visible on her face when she'd thought of how to handle the assassin's corpse; the expression of a determined avenger.

Stealing one last glance at her fallen sibling she took a linen cloth from under her cloak and wrapped it around the small putrid body, planting a small kiss on his forehead before the dirty fabric hid everything out of sight. Another injection of guilt stung her as she realised her beloved brother had to travel to the hereafter in such a repulsive state, all because of her fear of catching that violet gaze ever again. The journey passing over the Western horizon would be dangerous enough already, and with her waiting a week before she'd finally gathered the courage to give him a proper burial, it would be an extremely difficult task. But somehow she knew he'd make it there, for he had to watch over her when she didn't have the strength to do it herself. "Rest in peace, Mishka." Her voice was barely a whisper as she spoke, lifting up the frighteningly numb body in her arms as she walked outside of the bloody mess that once served as her home, wishing that walking away from her problems would have been just as easy.

Present

"Mishka!" The young woman's eyes shot open, a paroxysmal of shudders wracking her sweat-covered body as she sat straight up, her hands clinging to her head as she gasped for air. Her eyes, usually so calm and tranquil, were now widened with blatant terror, the emerald irises reflecting all the horror that had disturbed her sleep. Staring at the darkness that surrounded her, her hands trembling as they clung in her hair because the appalling scene played itself over and over again, her stomach churning and her heart thumping madly in her chest. She cried as she struggled to calm her ragged breathing. Not out of sorrow, but rather out of frustration. Frustration that those horrible dreams had once again returned to feed on her sanity. Chocking back her stomach she angrily wiped away the tears and slammed her fist against the floor with rage, not even minding the throbbing pain that spread through it almost immediately. Sweat rolled down the bridge of her nose as she buried her head in her arms that were now securely wrapped around her knees, her heartbeat slowly returning to its usual state.

"This has to end."

She lifted herself up from the rough ground with great difficulty, groaning as she felt the sand irritating her at places she didn't even know she had. Her muscles were almost paralysed due to the position she'd been in the whole night, having slept outside against the wall of some forgotten hovel no vagrant cared to inhabit. Her hands immediately felt for her weapons and the few other possessions she kept underneath her cloak, sighing in relief as she found everything just as she had left if. She frowned at the fact that the neglecting of her health had made her so incautious, her face twisting into a look of disgust at the thought that any raging hormonal pervert or filthy old psycho could have taken their chance on her. But then she pushed the matter aside with a small shrug of her shoulders. Only idiots or foreigners would dare to approach her, for everybody in town knew who she was, and preferred to stay at a safe distance of at least eight feet, afraid that they might lose their wallets -- or their heads for that matter. At that thought her frown turned into a grin; she loved her reputation.

Brushing some sand out of her hair, she started her aimless wandering through the empty streets, yawning at the sight of the half moon softly illuminating the capital of Egypt with its ghostly pale light, adding to the eerie atmosphere that already lingered in the slums. Thousands of stars could be seen if one looked carefully enough, the twinkling balls of light peeking through the thin clouds that dotted the black night sky. The silence was only disturbed by a gentle breeze that brushed by, and the sound of her boots sopping in the stinking mud, accompanied by the buzzing of numbers of mosquitoes greedily swarming around the piles of trash and feces. 'Oh, the tranquillity,' she thought, rolling her eyes as she scraped her boot over the ground to get some reeking thick brown substance off it, not anxious to find out what it was. 'Now,' she thought sheepishly. 'Where the hell to go?'

After only Ra knew how many wasted minutes had gone by, she found herself dragging her feet forward, shifting her attention from a rather repulsive looking corpse of a dog to her surroundings, shuddering as she realised where her wandering feet had taken her. Prostitute Paradise. Her eye twitched as she saw why the name she'd made up for the neighbourhood, although it lacked any originality, fitted it perfectly nevertheless. A small group of under-aged, half-naked girls led two cloaked men into a building that matched the poor condition Mel's house was in, giggling and whispering seductively in the ears of their dirty -- most likely pedophilic -- customers. The first man her eyes fell on was dressed in a simple black piece of cloth, and the other one wore a deep crimson robe, the colour seeming to resemble blood a little too well, the unmistakable feature forcing her heartbeat into overdrive.

The Thief King.

Rage blinded her senses, and her hand automatically reached for the jagged sword that hung against her thigh, eager to pull it out of it's sheath. Pure malice was burning in her wild eyes, the irises now large with the desire to draw this piece of trash's blood. Increasing her slow tempo into a steady gallop she went straight for the Thief King, who was about to enter the building, her hand painfully wrapping itself around the grip, her knuckles turning white. When she was about to unleash her fury, she bumped into someone, her vision temporarily blurred and gasped for breath as all the air was pressed out of her lungs due to the hard impact on her chest.

A series of curses followed, some of them even capable of making the vilest scumbag raise a brow. As soon as she got her vision back, seeing the tombrobber disappearing inside the building, she grabbed the person that had just so rudely interrupted her bloodlust by the throat, raising the surprisingly light victim clear off the ground, only to slam the poor being into a wall afterwards, erupting a cry of agony. "You IDIOT! Do you realise you might have to pay this moronic little action with your -- Aki?"

Laughing nervously the youth raised a hand, greeting her. "Hi to you too, Dee. Mind putting me back down on my feet? You're kind of choking me to death here." Another nervous laugh followed; the boy knew she wouldn't have hesitated doing so if she hadn't recognised him.

With hearing her nickname she snapped out of her anger, putting the boy back down and quickly pulling him into a tight hug. "Aki! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to--"

"No need to apologise, bumping into your... bosom twice was definitely worth it." Aki commented against her chest, grinning boyishly as Adeena shoved him away, hitting him in the head as he shot her a saucy smile. This was exactly the raging hormonal pervert she had been thinking about earlier. She sighed, her earlier rage completely vanished now. She stood in front of the boy -- pretending as if she didn't notice his eyes wander over places of her body they weren't suppose to dwell on while a little too happy smile was plastered on his lips -- ruffling his hair. It was impossible to stay mad at Aki for a long period of time, and he gladly took advantage of that fact. Though he was a horrible perverted pain in the ass at times, he was a cute little thing. Dark bangs framed his boyish, but pretty face, partially hiding his surprisingly blue eyes from sight, concealing the playful mischievous glint that always shimmered in them. The bronze coloured skin was flawless except for a large scar that ran down his left cheek, giving his innocent appearance a rough edge to it, though that assumption was misplaced, for no matter how much Aki enjoyed making up gory stories about how he got the scar, he was just an energetic kid that stumbled over his own over-excited feet a little to often.

He gained too much life experience living in the slums for his own good, his childhood stained with grief and suffering as he fought his way through despair and solitude. Just like Adeena he was an orphan, having to take care of himself by stealing and sticking his nose into tricky businesses too dangerous for a twelve year old to deal with. Though he always seemed to radiate with a childlike happiness, Adeena knew this poor victim of poverty and starvation was being eaten up by his fear and pain deep inside. But being the streetwise kid that he was, he knew better than to stew in your personal misery if you wanted to survive.

Both living under the protective eye of Mel the two street rats had become good friends, both sharing the thrills of their dangerous lifestyle and therefore they were often seen together, if one looked carefully enough, that is, crawling through the city to empty the wallets of incautious morons.

Then Adeena's eyes narrowed to suggestive slits, a smug smile tugging at her lips as she poked an accusing finger in Aki's chest. "Spying on the prostitutes again eh, you dirty boy?"

The orphan's face turned a bright crimson as he attempted to sputter an excuse. "N-no! I'm not! Well, at first I was but the -- oh wipe that smile off your face Dee! I'm a man, I have the right to do such things."

"Pff, come again if your 'chesthair' actually counts more then one hair, you midget. Oww!" She rubbed the place of her stomach where Aki had punched her surprisingly hard. The boy truly didn't know his own strength. "I was just joking, dear Ra, keep your hormones in check." She dodged another punch and grinned, ruffling the fuming boy's hair again; she'd certainly hit a nerve joking about his 'masculinity' -- or lack thereof. "Kidding sweetheart, continue."

"As I was trying to tell you before you so rudely interrupted me," the boy began, glaring at his friend who still hadn't managed to wipe the smirk off her face. "At first I came here for... certain reasons, but that's not why I'm here now. I followed two cloaked men that I met on my way before--" Aki didn't finish his sentence when he saw Adeena turn pale with what he told her. "What? Hey! If you're thinking that I've suddenly come to realization that I swing the other way, you've got one fucked up mind lady!" In the years that Aki had come to know Adeena he'd learned a witty remark usually followed when such things were said, but instead she grabbed the boy by the shoulders in a more painful grip than the boy wanted to admit.

"Dee, what's wrong? Y-you're hurting me," the boy winced as her bone-crushing grip tightened some more, her eyes wide with something that came close to fear as she examined him as if she were looking for imaginary injuries. "Did he hurt you, Aki?" her eyes bore into his, shaking his shoulders when he didn't answer. "Did he touch you? Answer me!"

Still a little shocked with the usually laid back Adeena the boy quickly shook his head, sighing in relief as his partner in crime released her firm grip on his shouders. An even deeper sigh was given birth as the girl covered her eyes with her hands, shaking her own head in disapproval of her own behaviour. "What the hell is wrong with me? This is the second time I hurt you today. I'm truly sorry, Aki, I believe the stress has finally gotten to me." She rubbed her temples, for the first time realising how tired she truly was.

The boy waved the excuse away with a gesture of his hand, offering her a warm smile. "Don't worry about it, I can fully understand. You have to get yourself some rest, Dee. Otherwise Mishka's death will eventually bring you down...too." The boy barely dared to finish his sentence when he saw the hurt glance in his friend's eyes, immediately wishing he could take back his words. "I didn't mean it like that, sorry. Well, anyway, why did you freak out in the first place?" He stared at the ground, fumbling at his worn shirt as he tried to change the painful subject.

Adeena sighed again, knowing that Aki had only tried to comfort her, although he was doing a rather horrible job at it. Shooting the boy a genuine smile to let him feel better, she began, "That man you met is a highly dangerous criminal, and from what you've told me I don't think you recognised him. Ever heard of the King of Thieves?"

A small gasp escaped the boy's lips, a reaction that often followed when the Thief King was spoken of. "He's the one who killed your parents, right? Dear Ra, I can't believe I didn't notice anything!" His hand involuntary reached for his throat, as if to cherish the pulse that could luckily still be felt there.

"Yeah he is," Adeena replied bitterly, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "You might want to check your wallet too, now you're at it." She added in a more gentle tone of voice, noticing Aki's hand was still resting on his neck.

"Hmpf! As if somebody could actually steal something from me!" He rolled his eyes in a conceited manner. Never let it be said that Aki lacked any confidence. "He wasn't trying to steal anything from me in the first place. Actually, he was quite... friendly.

Adeena could only raise a skeptical eyebrown at that. "Yeah, friendly enough to save my father of those nasty, nasty limbs. That man is a homicidal psychopath for Ra's sake, and you're telling me you had a nice little chit-chat with him?

Aki shrugged. "Can I help it? Maybe it was my natural charm, I'm told to be quite the charmer," he said in a mocking manner, joking around to hide how uncomfortable Adeena talking about how her parents were slaughtered made him feel. She smiled her trademark saucy smile, a smile that Aki had come to associate with raunchy remarks.

"I'd say it was your tight little ass, but that's just a wild guess."

Aki felt the heat spread over his cheeks as Adeena had to involve sex in what he tried to keep a decent conversation once again. "How tasteful. You're a bad influence on my twelve year old innocent soul, lady!"

Adeena laughed. "Yeah, and I must say I did quite a good job at it. How could you have possibly turned out into such pervert otherwise! Quite a shame actually, you were such a cute little thing when I first met you."She pinched his cheeks, most to the boy's mortification, which turned an even deeper crimson.

"You're beyond help. Anyway, I was at the market, trying to get me some breakfast for the day, and when I had just snatched this huge piece of bread, someone suddenly grabbed me by the arm. I managed to stay calm, although I was scared out of my mind, thinking I got busted! Well, actually I was more afraid of my reputation being ruined... the great Aki never gets caught! Anyway, I actually managed to kick him a few times before he dragged me into an alley and I got to take a good look at him. I must admit I got pretty scared once I saw him, boy, did that guy look tough! He had this huge sword! Seriously I've never seen a sword that big, well except from the sword your father used to have, it looked a lot like it." The boy visualized the size of the sword with his hands, although the space in between them was most likely a little bit exaggerated, like Aki loved to do while telling a good story. "He said it was okay and that he wasn't going to harm me.(1) He told me he'd seen everything and thought I got great potential for being a master thief one day. Obviously he didn't knew I already I am /I a master thief, so I told him. He'd never heard of my name before, so I assumed he wasn't from around here, considering the size of my reputation, you know. He just laughed and said I had to be properly equipped if I wanted to improve myself even more, so he gave me this!"

Aki reached inside his ragged cloak and pulled a small dagger out of it. The blade was obviously used a lot of times, and the shining silver that it had once been was now a dull colour instead. The handle on the other hand was made of pure gold, all kinds of complicated hieroglyphs imprinted on it and rubies adding the final touch to this fine masterpiece. "Quite nifty isn't it? The Thief King said I was probably going to need that in the future. It used to be his when he was a kid; he said it helped him a lot to satisfy him. Something about avenging the fallen souls of his town, or something... I forgot. But now he doesn't need it anymore. He's on a mission to kill somebody that actually lives around here! I feel really sorry for that poor fellow. The one he's after is going to be killed with that new sword of his! He stole it from his prey's father after he slaughtered him. The way he told it was so totally gory, and he actually smiled while describing the details! Quite sick if you think about it, to be killed with the sword of your dead old man."

Aki rambled on for a few more minutes, but Adeena had stopped listening, now completely paralysed with fear. She knew perfectly well who the Thief King was after, and she now deeply regret the day her father had decided to buy himself a new sword.

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(1) Yeah I know, the homicidal tombrobber Bakura said he wasn't going to harm anyone. Ha, you'll find out later why he goes easy onyoung kids. And no, that doesn't mean he's a pedophile you dirty perverts!

I hoped you guys liked it. Please review, I'd love to know what you guys think about it!


	3. Chapter 3: a Violent Encounter

The muted light of the few candles situated throughout the small room provided just enough of light to illuminate the empty blankness in the woman's eyes; the erotic dance of the flames sparkling in the emerald greens. Slim fingers were tightly wrapped around the warmth of a bowl, the scent that rose from the herbal soup rewarding her nose as she stared off into space, tangled up in the webs of her troubled mind. The sound of footsteps went unnoticed, and when the widow quietly positioned herself next to the absentminded youth, the silence was left undisturbed, the only sound being the lazy wind that brushed by, sweeping small dust-clouds inside of the house every once in a while.

Mel knew the orphan wasn't ignoring her on purpose -- just caught up in her own little world like she'd been doing a lot lately. A hand reached out and gently brushed trough the raven-black hair, the sign of affection earning a rare attention from the silent female, who turned her head and offered the aged woman a warm smile, and the shadows dancing on her features emphasised the signs of exhaustion that lined her face.

"Your soup is getting cold, dear."

Adeena smiled again and let out a long sigh, bringing the steaming bowl to her lips, the spicy liquid creating a pleasant sensation on her tongue, and she closed her eyes at the welcome warmth the soup was spreading throughout her body.

"It's delicious as always, Mel, thanks." Adeena continued to sip on her soup, a significant silence now hanging uncomfortably in the air.

"I put some extra effort in your last supper," Mel said, shooting Adeena a knowing look, a glint of what might have been sadness shimmering in her eyes.

The vagrant stared down at her meal, unable to endure the expression on her dear friend's face, with that suffocating lump in her throat. "Mel, I--"

The said woman just hushed her, placing a comforting hand on her forearm, speaking all of what they both couldn't say. "I understand, sweetheart. I guess Aki will appreciate getting double portions from now on." Adeena let out a small laugh, which eventually ended up sounding more like a pathetic sob. Mel took the bowl out of her hands, and embraced the girl, softly stroking her hair as the teen had her own arms tightly wrapped around her mother figure, not being able to suppress the few tears that escaped from beneath her closed eyelids.

"How did you know?"

Mel held her at arm's length, wiping a single tear from Adeena's face with her thumb. The woman regarded her, smiling like a proud mother would have as she found that the girl had never looked more beautiful than when disarmed from her stoic mask. "You ate your vegetables." Mel chuckled as she looked at the empty plate that stood before her. "You never eat them unless you're feeling guilty about something. Remember the time you made Aki eat shrubs? You suddenly couldn't get enough of those leeks!" Adeena caught Mel's contagious laughter and was once again surprised with how fast the woman could make her feel better no matter what the situation.

Yet her laughter soon faded when she realised the situation she'd gotten herself into. "I feel so horribly weak." She gave a deep sigh as she buried her head in her hands, suddenly recognizing how much it ached. "I can't seem to get my emotions in check. This anger, this... bloodlust I've been walking around with has been constantly nagging at me for the past few weeks, and it's driving me _completely_ mad. I've been trying to push it away, but I just can't ignore it, the bottle just gets full at some point, Mel. Strange, seeing the fact that I've been so damn good at pushing everything away for two damn years." She didn't even realise her tone and expression had turned bitter. "I know that killing that man won't solve anything, though I can't wait to have myself soaked in his blood." She choked on an acrimonious laugh.

"What's this? Wallowing in your own misery? After all what you've learnt by living on your own?" Mel shook her head as she scolded. "You should know better, _you_ out of all people." The girl flinched, being censured like a child who'd just been disobedient, averting her gaze to the dirty floor. Mel sighed. "I'm not saying that the death of this man will solve anything; you have to make that decision on your own. But feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to get you any further, either. Anger is only natural, but you should know your limits. Shedding blood isn't the only way of ending conflicts, that's what I've been taught."

Though she'd not said it directly, the youth knew perfectly well what Mel thought of all this. Adeena decided she didn't share the woman's opinion.

"Oh, I almost forgot! I've got something for you." Mel finally said, breaking the silence as she stood up and went for a large wooden box that stood in the far corner of the room, getting a small package out of it. "I've been saving it for a special occasion; I want you to have it." Mel ceremoniously placed the package in Adeena's hands. She unwrapped it, revealing a sheathed dagger. Seeing the silver sheath, embellished with gold flourishes gleaming magnificently in sweeps and waves, she stared wide-eyed at Mel, who just smiled. "Come on, try it out."

Being the lover of weaponry she was, Adeena needed no further encouragement and pulled the dagger free from its scabbard, a unique ringing metallic sound filling the room as she did it. Finely twisted silver wire covered the grip and braided gold formed the word _Justice_ on each side of the hilt. This brilliant piece of craftsmanship was the most beautiful thing the youth had ever laid her eyes upon, and she carefully ran her finger along the sharp metal.

The grip was absolutely perfect, giving her the feeling that this killing device had been custom made for her. Tightening the grip on the hilt, the word pressing into the flesh of her hand, creating a frightening, but equally seductive sensation that seemed to stir her feelings from deep within, strengthening them, especially bringing the anger inside her to life. The excitement she got out of it overpowered the fright with an shocking force.

"Sweet mother of Ra," the teen breathed, the energy still roaring throughout her entire body like a violent fire, the adrenaline seeming to consume her as it blinded her senses.

"You feel it," Mel stated, an emotion shimmering in her eyes that Adeena couldn't quite place. "Good. Very good."

* * *

"Dee?" Aki sighed, realising he'd once again lost her. 

The girl snapped out of her memories, placing her hand on the object that hung on her belt, the unaccustomed weight that rested against her thigh reminding her of the widow's words. "Hmm, did you say something?" Her voice was distant, just as her eyes that now stared at the ground.

"Don't space out every minute -- it's annoying." The boy shot her an accusing look, tilting his head as he tried to make eye contact with the taller girl.

Adeena just continued to stare at the ground with what seemed great interest, mumbling a weak apology. Aki noticed she was clutching one of her daggers a little too tightly. His eyebrows disappeared behind his hair as he raised them, surprised he'd gotten an actual apology instead of a box on the ear for scolding her. Adeena rarely apologised. She must be seriously distressed, the boy concluded. "So," Aki began, this time a little louder. "The guy is in there, huh? What are you going to do?" Aki pouted as he was once again ignored. "Well, have fun then! I'm going over there..." The boy stuck his hands in his pockets as he headed towards the brothel.

There was the box on the ear.

"Owowow!" The boy winced as he rubbed the side of his head, glaring at his assaulter.

"Can you shut your yap? I'm thinking." And then, after a moment of silence, "And don't even _think_ about going in there, young man!"

"Great, _now_ she's being all attentive," the boy muttered bitterly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Gah, not my ears!" The boy clasped his hands over his ears in an all too dramatic way, anxious not to have both of his ears throbbing and red. When nothing happened, the boy sighed in relief, straightening his back after that rather undignified performance. "Seriously Dee, you're such a dictator at tim-- "

"I need you to bring me a prostitute."

The boy choked on the rest of his words, looking rather disturbed as he regarded the girl with wide eyes and his mouth ajar. "W-what?" Suddenly his expression changed and Aki gloated, a merry grin tugging at his lips as he giggled. "Oooh! So _you_ swing that way!"

This time he didn't get the chance to cover his ears.

"No you oaf!" Adeena shouted, wondering how much dignity she'd just lost. Though he'd just been smacked, hard, the boy couldn't keep a straight face and was stifling his giggles with his hand.

"Then why the hell do you need a prostitute?" he asked, having trouble keeping his voice steady and not to burst out in laughter.

Adeena gave a deep sigh, still feeling highly offended with Aki's remark. "I can't just gleefully skip in there, walking straight into the arms of that psycho who would be more than happy to chop my head off with that gigantic sword of his! He's after _me_, Aki. I don't know why, but he clearly wants all the members of my family dead, and given the fact that I'm the only one left, I know who's next on his list." She ran a hand through her messy locks, biting her lip as she realised just how terrible those words truly sounded.

She sighed. "I need a cover. If I can get my hands on that horrible clothing those girls wear..." Her lip twitched at the mere thought of those clothes on her body. "I can get close to him without running any high risks."

As she realised just how close she needed to get to him to get him alone, her stomach lurched, feeling anxious to encounter him in _such_ a way.

"You know these girls well." Adeena quickly clasped her hand over Aki's mouth as he attempted to defend himself against what she'd said. "Don't bother, I don't want to hear the lame excuse you come up with. Anyway, if you can manage to get one of those girls out of the building, I'll take care of the rest."

The boy's light eyes narrowed into sceptical slits, and he removed Adeena's hand from his mouth. "And what do I get out of all this?"

The youth laughed. "I was hoping you'd ask that. I'll acknowledge you're a true man... if you're able to pull it off in the first place," she added slyly. The girl felt very pleased with her proposal, knowing that, being the proud 'man' he was, Aki would never refuse such a challenge. He was so easy to manipulate.

"Hmpf! Piece of cake!" the boy boasted in his usual cocky manner. "But my next meal will be on you."

"Sure thing," Adeena agreed, still grinning to herself.

"This shouldn't be a problem, really. I sometimes help them to find good customers, and that way I help the customers to find a girl they'll like. It's an easy way of earning some extra money." The boy played with his hair as he stared at the ground. Although he talked so casually about the matter, he felt ashamed of the things he had to do to get a few coins together. "I'll just tell one of them I found her a good payer."

"Thanks, Aki." The girl shot him a grateful smile as she ruffled his hair for a moment, feeling rather sorry for the boy's embarrassment. "I'll be waiting for you around the corner. Good luck." The boy smiled back and went for the brothel. "And watch your back!" She shouted after him as he disappeared inside the building.

* * *

"Ugh! What the hell is taking him so long? He better not be getting any right now!" Adeena complained as she nervously paced up and down, feeling quite worried about the boy's safety. "What if that Thief King got his hands on him?" The youth preferred not to dwell any further on that thought. "I better go check things out from a safe distance," she whispered to herself and sped around the corner... to bump into what she'd soon find out to be a terrible fate. 

Whatever the danger was she had had in mind, this was far beyond it.

Her heartbeat was stuck in her throat from shock, her body completely restricting in utter horror as she stared right into those hateful eyes, the intense violet greeting her with a bone-chilling glare that had haunted her nightmares for so long. Her mind refused to function properly as those hateful orbs seemed to keep her in captive; her thoughts a chaotic blur of white panic. Her face was pale with blatant alarm, and feral green eyes stared back widely at the towering figure. A sudden movement yanked her out of her aghast state as she ducked before the sword could slash through her neck, the metal painfully cutting the flesh of her shoulder instead. Her thoughts were all the same as she sprinted off as fast as her shaking legs could carry her, the predator right behind her. _Run, Run!_

* * *

"This better be worth it kid, or else you're screwed." Leila warned dangerously; she'd never been the gentle type. She clicked her tongue in a bored fashion as she followed the young boy that led her out of the brothel, and apparently to a willing customer with a fat wallet. She looked to be in her early twenties, though the amount of tough life-experience she had would contradict this. She tucked some flaming red bangs away from her sapphire eyes; the short locks immediately falling back in their place, concealing her right eye from sight as they always did. Her wild manes were tied in a loose ponytail, the hair waving over her one shoulder, reaching down to tickle the fair flesh of her bronze stomach. Simple black cloth was wrapped around her upper body, leaving her midriff bare and exposing the tattoo around her navel: a symbol representing the Goddess Isis. Hanging loosely on curved hips were silk pantaloons, the ends wrapped around her ankles with more cloth. Plain slippers adorned her feet, finishing the exotic ensemble that was quite an eye-catcher. She could certainly be described pretty, beautiful even, but her stony face and harsh eyes had put off any would-be suitors in the past. Men feared her because of the deadly way she carried herself, and yet lusted after her because of her looks and confidence that made her irresistibly erotic. 

"Don't worry, Leila, he promised a high price. It wouldn't hurt to show some gratitude for once, you know." Aki pointed out, strongly doubting that where he was about to take her would make the fierce woman grateful. If it wasn't for Adeena, he'd be scared for his life, for he very well knew that this lady was even more of a demonic dictator than his friend was.

"Don't speak to me so casually, you little brat. I'll decide whether to be grateful or not, and that will be that." Leila shot the orphan a meaningful look as she straightened the fabric that covered her chest.

"Ooh, feisty."

"Don't push your luck, kid. I mean it."

"Stop calling me 'kid'! You know I hate it when you do that."

"Do I look like I care?"

Aki just rolled his eyes, wondering if her mouth would still be that big when Dee had finished with her. He grinned to himself as he pictured Adeena stealing Leila's clothes from her body; he was really looking forward to such a promising scene. Though the girl would most likely whack him around the head for being a 'raging hormonal pervert', as she often called him. He sighed in relief as he saw the place where his partner in crime was waiting for him, shooting a sidewards glance at Leila who immediately caught his gaze, rewarding him with an annoyed glare.

"It's just around the corne--" Aki fell silent as he found that Adeena was nowhere to be found, swallowing hard as his heart pounded heavily in his ribcage. He certainly wasn't going to get any gratitude now.

"What the hell are you rambling about, scum? Don't tell me he's expecting me to do my job in some god forsaken alley."

"S-she's gone."

"She? Are you out of your mind, kid! There will be hell to pay if that _guy_ doesn't show up anytime soon."

Aki clasped his hand over his mouth as he crouched down, his fingers touching the sticky substance that had colored the sand a deep red.

"Dear Ra. Please, no." Aki was trembling as he realised what had obviously happened. "H-he's got her."

Leila's patience had now reached its limit, and she grabbed the boy's shoulders, shoving him into the wall, Aki's head painfully colliding with it. "If you don't tell me what is going on, the consequences will be most unpleasant."

Aki moaned in pain and his vision was temporary blurred, before he could glare at the towering female, whose nails were currently digging in his flesh. He struggled against her firm grip, feeling highly frustrated with this woman who he found to be extremely annoying; he had things more important on his mind right now. "Let me go, y-you whore," Aki offended her, unable to think of a more original insult.

That only seemed to anger her further, and she tightened her surprisingly strong hold on his shoulders, making the boy wince. "You're going to tell me, _now_," she hissed through clenched teeth, her thoughts about the boy obviously not too different from what he was thinking.

"He's got her, you nosy wench! The Thief King has got my friend! And you bashing me against walls here certainly isn't going to help her, so if you could be so kind: let the hell go of me!" Aki was now yelling, breathing hard as he continued to glare angrily at her.

Leila raised a mere confused eyebrow at the explanation that didn't quite explain anything to her. "And how do I fit into this whole picture?"

"Who _cares_!" Aki would've thrown his hands up in the air in annoyance if Leila hadn't been restraining them. "Stop being so selfish for once! You're not getting any money. I lied. There isn't any guy waiting for you, just my friend who needed to steal your skimpy clothes. Now some homicidal psycho got her and will kill her if I won't do something anytime soon."

"I'll decide to ignore the disturbing fact that you lied to me to have someone steal my clothes -- it's bound to affect my sanity in a negative way. But you should know your friend is most likely dead and bleeding to death in a pile of trash, kid."

Aki suddenly felt horribly sick in the stomach after he heard that. "W-what makes you think that?"

"The Thief King isn't known for his gentle ways." She released her grip on his shoulders as she spoke, her voice sounding bitter. The boy sighed thankfully and rubbed his sore shoulders, blue and red colors already marking them as a reminder of his abuse. "I found out first hand. He took something from me a while back." Her voice was now dripping with disdain and her eyes had become hard. Aki didn't feel like asking what he'd taken from her, afraid of what she might answer, but he had the feeling that it had been something important.

Leila spoke again, "He's soulless. He doesn't know anything of mercy and sympathy; he's a beast. I'm sorry kid, but if he's the one who got her, there's very little you can do for your friend. If she's still alive, it's highly unlikely you'll ever find her again."

"And what if you helped me?"

Leila snorted. "And why the hell would I do that?"

That comment surprisingly stung the boy, though he managed to hide it. "Why? Because you're my Ra-damn sister, that's why."

* * *

Her heart was nearly jumping out of her ribcage, as she sprinted through the deserted alleys, stumbling over her aching feet as she fled like a panicked prey. Her thoughts raged; a tempest she couldn't calm or sort out. She swallowed her fear. Barely. It nearly choked her. Her breath was irregular and her sore throat was painfully scraped as she gasped heavily for air. Her whole body was soaked in sweat and trembling with harsh emotion; her entire being wanted to whip around and wrap her hands around that bronzed neck and just squeeze. But the small bit of common sense that still seemed to function in her terrified state withheld her, knowing she had very little chance of overpowering him in her current situation. She couldn't possibly fail now. She had to redeem Mishka. She had to redeem herself. 

With that thought her fear of the man, who was only a few paces behind her, his threatening footsteps pounding on the sand echoing in her head, was being replaced by a steady flow of adrenaline, the lust for his blood making her blood boil and encouraging her.

'I need to get behind him.'

Her eyes scanned her surroundings, desperately searching for a solution. She felt like crying in relief when she found it. She got only one chance to do it right, and without a single trace of hesitation, she took it. It happened before the man could even comprehend what was going on. Adeena leaped from the ground with all the force she could muster and reached for the beam that stuck out of the side of a building, tightly wrapping her fingers around it and whirling the weight of her lower body over the beam with skilful speed. She landed a few metres behind her previous predator, her feet painfully colliding with a piece of pottery, as she landed on all fours, but her plan had worked nevertheless. The cloaked man now stood motionless, his back facing Adeena, who knew as well as he did that he was no longer the one who had the upper hand.

When he made no attempt to move, the youth growled with rage. "I want to see your face when I finish you off. Turn around!" She violently whipped some strands of hair away that had stuck to her face, her chest rapidly heaving up and down, as her heart was still in overdrive. The man, on the other hand, still stood there as if frozen. That made her blood burn. For some reason that idiot felt safe enough with his back turned while she was fully armed, which made her want to stick her full equipment into his back. She howled with both blinding rage and pain as she ripped out a sharp piece of pottery that had dug itself into the flesh of her calf when she'd landed, aiming it directly at the head of the unmoving man with incredible speed. When it reached him, he simply cocked his head to the side, dodging the improvised killing device that dropped to the ground in front of him.

He used her surprise as an opportunity to begin his attack, whirling around and charging at her with his sword drawn. Adeena didn't need any further encouragement and unsheathed her jagged sword, quivering with pent up hatred and rage before exploding into movement, her eyes pleadingly bloodthirsty. She clenched her jaw at the impact the colliding of their blades caused, steel screaming against steel, as both swords were locked. He was only inches away, his knuckles brushing against hers, his closeness taking all of her self control not to spit in his face.

She flipped back when the pressure of his shoulders got the best of her, sheathing her sword to impatiently reach for one of her daggers, instantly hurling it at her attacker and retreating from his deadly blade as it lunged at her again. Despite the coldness of the night and the chilly breeze that swept by, the sweat rolled down her back, just as she could see it rolling down his face. She quickly rolled back to dodge what could have been a fatal attack, her hand slipping into her booth to retrieve another dagger, taking in his position and the firm way he held his sword. He rushed at her, the blade singing forbiddingly as it cleaved loudly through the air, that being all that it managed to hit when the youth escaped the metal just closely.

When the cloaked figure lost his balance due to the speed of the attack, Adeena swung her leg around in an attempt to kick the sword out of his hands, only to be caught by his leg, a shap pain riding through her muscles at the mighty blow. "Just die already!" The orphan screamed as she flipped the dagger over in her nimble fingers, stabbing down to rip the flesh of his thigh, blood coating her trustworthy weapon as the man growled in pain. The next jab was caught by his blade, and both swordfighters struggled against one another, their faces tight with determination and focus, violet and emerald meeting in a bone-chilling glare.

Then he grinned, his orbs and a flashing smile being the only things that stood out from behind the darkness of the hood of his cloak. "You're better than I expected from a coward." His deep voice was dripping with fake flattery -- a menacing sound that suited the teasing words that were spoken. Adeena knew perfectly well what he was talking about, her heart once again being stabbed with guilt as she tought of when she'd fled when her brother was murdered. The words were only meant to distract her, and that was exactly what they did.

"Shut up!" she roared, the amused look on his face aggravating her anger beyond what she'd ever felt. She removed the weight of her weapon on his, catching him off guard as she sliced trough the air for his neck. The attack was blocked with a forceful shove against her shoulder, making her fall back at the impact and she was unable to regain her footing before he attacked her again, pushing her further away with his sword. She ducked and jumped, surprised at his sudden wild fighting. With her experienced insight she immediately noticed his gaping defence. She waited for the right moment and jumped, landing directly on the blade of his sword as it horizontally slashed at her head, her foot swinging towards his jaw just as he let go of his sword when it faltered under her weight and took her by surprise when he swung his head back and out of her reach.

She lost her balance and slammed into the wall behind her, barely able to dodge a well-aimed punch that was delivered to her face, the fist colliding with stone instead of her jaw. The stranger cursed in pain and Adeena smirked triumphantly. She got back to a safe distance and pulled out one of the few daggers that she still got left, her stash getting quite thin. Soon all she got left would be Mel's dagger, and she wasn't planning on using that anytime soon.

She glared at her assaulter again. Despite the situation the orphan noticed, most to her her utter annoyance, that he was smirking, and her eyes hardened. A woman should not be taken lightly!

The violet-eyed swordfighter was on his way to retrieve his weapon, but Adeena quickly decided to do it for him and picked it up to whirl it onto a roof a few metres away, feeling quite pleased with herself as she saw the fuming look on his face. Now it was her time to grin as she motioned for him to charge at her. He rushed back to the fight, though he would be at a great disadvantage, now that the girl was the only one wielding a weapon. She dropped to all fours as a kick soared over her head, ruffling her already messed up hair. Another punch was aimed at her jaw, this time lightly brushing her cheek as she barely managed to escape the full blow. At lightning speed she managed to lock her fingers tightly around his wrist, tugging him forward. She kicked straight up, eager to crumble his jawbone, but narrowly missed as he jerked to the side once again, and much to her extreme horror, her leg ended up over his shoulder.

This was anything but graceful.

The cloaked one smirked devilishly and slammed her into the brick wall, her leg still in that _uncomfortable_ position and her head colliding with the wall with a sickening thud. His knee harshly pressed into her abdomen, shoving her back further until the roughness of the wall was painfully digging into the flesh of her back.

"My, my," he spoke gloatingly. "What a promising position."

* * *

AN: As for Aki mistaken Marik for Bakura, deal with the shadiness for a while, it'll be explained later on. Also, remember that Adeena only recognized the Thief King when she saw those two men enter the brothel. She didn't even know that it was Marik who was with him, or that he is his partner for that matter. The only thing she knows is that her family was killed for some reason and that she's the next one the list. I intended this confusion, it's all part of the plot, so it'll be cleared up. 

Thanks for reading, and please review!


	4. Chapter 4: a Past Revealed

dodges sharp objects Sorry for the uber long wait, darlings! Things kept butting in, such as school and personal problems, but part four is finally finished! I really enjoyed writing it, and I hope you guys will enjoy reading it too. This chapter fills in the blanks about Aki and Adeena's past, and of course there's also an ample amount of Marik goodness ;)

**Warnings:** Some violence, harsh language, and traces of the authoress's pervyness. cough

**Disclaimer:** I know it, you know it, Kazuki Takahashi know it -- I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. I _do_ own Adeena, Aki, Leila and the plot line.

* * *

**Chapter 4: a Past Revealed.**

Aki had never seen Leila so angry before. "How dare you speaking to me like that!" Her voice was low with what seemed agitation, her eyes brick hard as she stood hovering over the boy who'd slumped against the wall. "You know nothing of me! Nothing!" An accusing finger was united with the other trembling digits as they clenched themselves into a tight fist that ached to slam into something to blow off some steam and fury, preferably between the glaring blue eyes of the boy beneath her.

The things Aki had screamed at her when she'd refused his proposal for the second time, had injected her with a surprising pain, the verbal abuse hurting her far beyond what a few cuts and bruises could've done. Though she was completely aware of the fact that she hadn't been the most perfect sibling, she'd never known her brother felt so much anger towards his own sister, and all because of the things she'd done in the past. Or rather, -- the things she hadn't done.

Aki gave a small contemptuous laugh, turning his gaze away from a fuming Leila as he shook his head. "Truth hurts. Doesn't it, sis?." His expression then turned as bitter as his sister's, the resemblance between the two of them suddenly bigger than both of them would ever admit. "I never got the change to know you in the first place!" The tone of his voice was hard yet broken as it trembled with harsh emotions. "You left me when I needed you the most. How can you have the heart to leave a six year old kid, Leila? You were supposed to be the responsible one! Did you think it would've made mom proud if you followed in her footsteps?" He left the stinging question hanging in the air like a foreboding haze. This time is was Leila's time to avert her gaze, the words of her nine year younger brother stabbing her right trough her soul, the painful things that had been left unspoken for six long years now finally coming to the surface.

"You're as much of a whore as you always said mom was, Leila!" Tears sprung into Aki's eyes as his throat was starting to get sore from yelling. "Acting all pathetic as if this is the only option for people like us! How can you be so ignorant?" A pitiful whimper escaped the boy's lips in between the harsh words he was still stunning the red-haired female with. "Mom hated to make a living like that, taking care of her family with the money she earned with the thing she hated the most in life. She came to me every night, crying her heart out to a six year old because she had no other bloody person to turn to. She was devastated that her very own daughter despised her for what she was. And look at yourself now. It's pretty ironic you turned out to be the kind of person you always hated so much. You must be so proud of yourse--"

Aki's words were interrupted by the force of Leila's flat hand colliding with his face, the impact so hard that a disturbing feeling of nausea surfaced and the throbbing headache the crying and yelling had caused worsened. He gasped in surprise from the pain the blow has caused, his eyes wide with shock as he brought his hand to his burning cheek, the coppery taste in his mouth all too familiar.

"You get what you deserve," Leila spoke dead calm, glaring down at him with stony eyes. Though inside she felt more disturbed with her sudden outburst than she'd thought she would be. She'd not been gentle with her brother, but she'd never laid a single finger on him.

When Aki had recovered from his shock, he stared at his sister, a dark sneer painted on his face as he did. "So, it seems you even managed to turn out a lot like dad was!"

At that accusation Leila managed to maintain her usual stoic composure, but behind her blank expression a turmoil of guilt and realization was hidden. What in Ra's name had become of her? The only person she used to hate more than her mother had been her father: a violent, disrespectful drunkard who'd never bothered to put any effort in his family, neglecting them as one would do to a filthy dog. Leila's mother was always the victim of her husband's outburst, sometimes barely able to pick herself up from the ground after he'd finished with her. The girl swallowed the lump in her throat as she remembered when her father had gone one step too far. After he'd murdered his own wife he'd fled, leaving his twelve year old daughter and six-year-old son on their own to survive in the dangerous area their mother had always tried to protect them of.

Then Leila and Aki parted as well when the older of the two fled from the responsibilities she knew she couldn't carry, turning her back away from the cruel truth to search her refuge in a world she'd come to learn as even crueller one. Prostitution -- the infamous last resort.

"It's not as if you turned out to be a decent human being. Who the hell are you to tell me that I'm a bad person anyway? At least I'm making my money in an honest way, street trash!" Leila finally spat venomously, deciding that she wouldn't let a child tell her off, though feeling ridiculous that she had to defend herself in front of a mite.

"I'd rather be stealing than lying on my damn back all day." Aki retorted, feeling extremely angry now that his sister had insulted him for the way he had to survive, when she knew like no other what desperation does to people.

"You're just as classless as that raunchy friend of yours. If it wasn't for her you'd be--"

"If it wasn't for her I'd be dead now!" The blue-eyed boy had now stood up, face red with fury as he trembled with rage. "Don't _ever_ talk about Adeena in such a way again! She took care of me when you were too occupied with your 'classy' business, selfish brat! I'm still grateful for every day she taught me how to take care of myself." A pregnant silence followed when Aki paused, reminding the situation Adeena might've gotten herself into.

"I must have been out of my mind for just one single second considering that you would help me out! I should've known better. Get out of my face already. In the time you just wasted on me you could've gone trough at least three customers. Losing any more time would be a shame, wouldn't it?"

"You know what, Aki, I never regretted walking away. I never will." With those words the redhead turned on her heels and left Aki to stare at her back as she walked away, again.

The boy buried his tear-stained face in his arms as he saw Leila disappear around the corner and out of his life forever, her last words leaving him feeling sick and lonelier than ever. Although his words had said otherwise, he'd truly hoped that his sister would help him out, if only it had been for a few comforting words or a little moral support. But it was clear that he'd been terribly wrong.

Aki was already starting to lose himself in self-pity and misery, completely hysteric now that he fully realised he had to find Dee on his own, but the sound of blades crashing together snapped him out of his agitation.

"Oh my, what a pleasant surprise! Never thought I'd see you again, and properly dressed, even. Still pretty stunning, I must say." Aki instinctively clasped his hands in front of his mouth, suppressing a terrified gasp as he recognised the voice. He tightly wrapped his fingers around his dagger for protection, a cold shiver running up his spine as he realised it's previous owner stood right around the corner.

Realization suddenly hit him square in the face.

If the Thief King was here, then who had encountered Adeena? Spine tingling fear wrapped itself around Aki's heart, sudden alarm making him dizzy as he thought Dee's fate might be even worse than Leila had predicted. He took a few deep breaths as he forced himself to calm down, ignoring the painful knot in his stomach.

"Get your damn hands off me, Thief King!" The other voice was also painfully familiar, and Aki felt worried about the safety of Leila even though he'd just been cursing her with every insult he could think of.

"A few weeks ago you were desperately begging for those same hands on your body. Why the sudden change, sweet cheeks?" The eavesdropping boy didn't know if he had to laugh or gag at that comment, but it was disturbing all the same. What he did know was that he didn't like the tone of the man's voice. Not at all.

"When you fake it, you have to fake it good. It looks like you fell for it,_ Tozokuoh_."

"I don't like that attitude of yours."

The dull sound of Leila's body slamming against the wall caused Aki to jump up, his heart nearly pounding out of his ribcage, hoping the thief had not heard him.

"I'm still waiting for that debt, and you're all too familiar with the fact that my patience is quite limited." Something had scared Leila enough to silence her, which rarely happened. Her usual confident words were now replaced with weak whimpers instead.

"You know I don't have it, Thief King. Why do you think I was desperate enough to ask for your services to begin with?" Her voice trembled, betraying the fear that Aki knew was rushing through her veins. He wondered what Leila owed the tombrobber, and what she'd been so desperate for. Whatever it was, it made him extremely worried that his sister was involved with scum such as the Thief King.

"I hope that wasn't intended as an insult. If you don't repay me in two weeks, there will be hell to pay." Aki heard the murderer laugh at his choice of words, but the boy himself wasn't all amused.

"Two weeks, t-that's impossible. I barely have enough money to--"

"Who said I was talking about money? In kind, sweet cheeks, in kind. You've got to be a little more inventive when you've got no goods. And you're lucky that I know just the right thing."

If Aki hadn't been hiding in the shadows he could've seen the Thief King closing the space between him and Leila, slowly leaning in to whisper the 'right thing' into her ear.

If he hadn't been hiding in the shadows he also could've seen the horrified expression on his sister's face when the Thief King had shared his idea.

"Within two weeks. Remember, -- I like my goods in perfect state." Aki could _hear_ the tombrobber smirking at his own words. "Until then."

When he was sure the Thief King had disappeared from sight, he crawled out of the safety of the darkness, his heart still pounding like a rage-hammer inside his head. The sight of his sister sitting slumped against the wall, shaking all over as she stared off into space affected him more than he'd expected.

"Kid."

Aki knew she had to try her best to keep her voice steady.

"Pack your stuff. We're going for a ride."

Footsteps, a faint voice, and the sound of thunder rolling like a drum to a war dance, breaking the silence that reigned over Egypt at that moment. Breathing slowly and heavily, the broken girl wished she could just close her eyes forever. She had been lying on the freezing ground for hours now, having lost track of time after the man had knocked her unconscious and tied her up. She had woken up to the darkness and the oppressive smell of the juten bag that had been pulled over her head, a nerve-wracking feeling of claustrophobia threatening to creep up on her, cold sweat rolling down back. The caked blood on her face was moist with tears that had escaped from her eyes when fear and despair had gotten the best of her.

Her head was painfully throbbing from when she'd been slammed into the brick wall. The blatant smile of sadistic satisfaction that had been visible on his face when he'd punched her in the gut stood still burned onto her retina, self-disgust and stings of humiliation mocking her as she realised she'd been completely and utterly defeated for the first time in her life. Her useless struggling against him had only resulted in her arm now being in an extremely odd angle, her shoulder feeling disgustingly dislocated. And on top of it all, she was still only half-conscious.

The most troublesome thing had been the constant burning sensation against her thigh, where the weight of Mel's dagger still rested. The more angry she got over the current position she was in, the more it burnt. It was more of an aching feeling, a desperate whining, as if the metal constantly wanted to confirm it was there. When Adeena had thought about what to do with that stranger as soon as she got the chance to get her hands on him, it had turned so hot she felt as if her clothes were going to catch on fire. Though the sensation was pleasant all the same, the heat like an all-consuming fire of adrenaline that rushed through her veins. When she'd forced herself to calm down to pull herself together, the feeling had finally vanished.

Thankfully, despite the nearly unbearable ache and soreness, she was still able to think clear, her mind now working at light speed. She'd been searching for this violet eyed stranger for weeks, not finding a single trace of him after combing out the entire city. And then she'd suddenly ran into him while looking for the Thief King. It had been so obvious. She cursed herself for not having put the pieces of the puzzle together any faster. Had she done it, maybe she wouldn't have gotten herself stuck in this situation.

She was completely sure the two men at the brothel had been the Thief King and Mishka's killer, the one who'd now also became her abductor. Offender leaves the scene of the crime as quickly as possible; Adeena knew that like no other, and yet they were both still here.

She hadn't been searching for them. _They_ had been searching for _her_.

She gave another deep sigh, nearly choking on another sob with that suffocating piece of cloth stuffed in her mouth. The death of her parents, Mishka getting killed: it was all a part of the same complot. The fact that this man had come after her made it all the more clear. A foreboding feeling twisted in her gut, telling her she was the next on the list. Soon she'd be facing the same horrible fate her family had; she just wished she'd find out why before she would face her death.

Why the Hell were they after her?

Question after question harassed her mind as she lay there thinking about it, the headache the impact of his fists had caused terribly worsening now that she wracked her brain with the endless stream of theories that sped through her mind. What was the connection between those two? Who worked for who? Were there any more people involved?

Adeena's feelings never let her down. That was exactly the reason why she was determined to keep her head up high and find out the truth, because she felt Mishka would help her find a way.

The burning sensation of the light of an early dawn hitting her sensitive eyes violently yanked her out of her thoughts, but not nearly as violent as she was once again hurled across the streets. The few she could see with her still unaccustomed and blurry vision told her he'd brought her to another place, definitely far away from the center and to some deserted remote corner of town. As fast as her wounded body allowed her she sat straight up, hissing in pain as her arm brutally protested.

"That's what you get when you're unwilling to submit to authority, fool." He kneeled down in front of her, shaking his head slightly, most likely in contempt, edging closer to the woman he'd so beastly abused hours ago, taking the piece of cloth out of her mouth. The black cloak was still draped over his shoulders, the hood still concealing his face like it had been doing the entire time.

"Show me your face," Adeena suddenly murmured hoarsely, the words surprising the addressed male just as much as they surprised herself. "I want to see the face of the one who took everything away from me." The words were soft, though the feelings behind it were clearly audible.

She watched him hesitate, then slowly reaching for his hood to pull it down, revealing the face that belonged to the one that had haunted Adeena's dreams for so long. The sight wasn't at all what she'd been expecting.

Messy sandy blonde hair partially hung in front of his sun kissed face, the violet eyes delicately framed with black kohl, now staring out from behind thick bangs as he gazed at her with a blank expression. His features were aristocratically angular, the fair bronze skin adding to this appearance, -- something that Adeena found especially uncommon for such a piece of human trash. Gold jewellery adorned his neck and ears, this luxury most likely stolen or gotten in some other illegal way. He wouldn't be described as your typical murderer.

He could certainly be described as handsome.

Adeena caught his gaze as she stared at him, annoyed with the smirk on his face as he leaned in, ungracefully untying the ropes around her hands. The smug smile never left his face as he spoke, "They say first impressions are the most lasting." He suddenly yanked her in close, grasping her limp arm in a strong grip as he twisted it back in position, placing it below the socket and shoving it upward.

"I've never agreed to that."

A loud scream followed.

"Keep your hands off me, asshole!" Adeena yelled in his face, her arm now throbbing so hard she wouldn't have been surprised if it had instantly dropped off her body.

"Should I rip it back out then, you ungrateful brat?" he snapped back, tying her back up again with a whole lot more force than necessary. He got nothing but a dark glare as an answer.

"That's what I thought. Now that we've gotten that crap over with I want to get a few things straight. You don't question me, you don't speak to me unless you're asked to or whenever I expect you to. Is that clear so far?"

Adeena turned her head away, not all interested in the list of rules this psycho had set up.

He suddenly grabbed her face, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Before I forget, you'll _always_ answer me when I ask you something. Understood?"

First Adeena contemplated playing dumb, but when the pressure on her jaw increased, she quickly changed her mind. "Yes."

"Good. Whining, struggling, or any other random annoying tricks from your part won't be tolerated. I won't hesitate to use the same blade on you as I did on that kid." To emphasise his threat he pulled out a small dagger, placing it against the side of her neck as he sneered at her. The idea of this same dagger having been the one that had killed her brother made her sick with disgust.

Suddenly understanding hit her square in the face.

"Go ahead." She prayed to the gods that her intuition was as reliable as she liked to believe it was. "You won't kill me. If you ever planned on doing so, you would've taken your chance back when you murdered _that kid_. You need me alive, don't you?" It was a mere gamble. Or it would've been if Adeena hadn't been so sure of herself.

"What is it you need me for?" The question was more directed to herself than to the blonde. Suddenly she wondered is she would be any better off alive. She highly doubted it.

First there was nothing, then the sound of a hand cutting through air and colliding with the side of her face. "Shut up! What did I just tell you, you little wench? You keep your mouth shut unless I ask you to do otherwise."

Despite the situation Adeena couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that, the habit of interpreting certain words in more than just one way once again popping up. Though that was not the reason behind the smile on her face. She'd certainly seen a glimmer of shock in his eyes when she'd confronted him with her suspicions. Thank Ra for female intuition.

The dreading fear of death that had been tossing around in her stomach had now ceased due to the risk of merely getting unpleasant injuries when she decidedly disobeyed him.

"Wipe that smile off your face before I do it." His voice was definitely more irritated than it had been before. "Don't play with me, girl. You have no idea who I am, and what I do. If you value your life, you better keep yourself in check. Then I will too." He stuck the dagger back into his cloak, but not without another warning glance that indicated he was not afraid to pull it out again.

Adeena suddenly felt the urge to find out how far she could push it. She'd always been the obstinate type.


	5. Chapter 5: Descendants of the Damned

Greetings! I know it took a really long time, but part 5 is finally there! I hope you guys will enjoy it, please let me know what you think op the chapter. I must say that I'm pretty satisfied with how it came out. I hope that it was worth the wait!

The numbers between the ( ) 's are footnotes! They'll be explained at the bottom of the page.

* * *

The first rays of sunlight seeped through the small streets of Egypt, covering the tiny houses of the less wealthy villagers in a golden veil. Inside one of those houses an old widow sat kneeled onto the dirt floor, grey locks that had once been of the most beautiful blonde colour framing a face that was wet with tears of greater despair than the widow had ever felt in the sixty years of her harsh life. 

Her hand curled into a tight fist as Mel fought back her tears, knowing that this weakness wasn't going to do any good for her, nor for Adeena. Knowing that the girl - who the woman had genuinely considered as her own flesh and blood - had now chosen her path and had left her, determined to avenge whoever killed her brother, made Mel quiver with fear for the teen's safety. The widow had always known Adeena was the kind of girl who lived by what her heart told her, not really minding any sort of rules that restricted her from being the way she was.

Ever since the death of Adeena's parents two years ago, Mel had known that it would be just a matter of time before the girl would leave, following her instincts despite what the wise woman had told, and begged her not to do. There was so much danger in this world, and Adeena had the nasty habit to walk right into its lethal claws, most of the time on purpose to push her limits even further.

"You stupid, stupid girl," Mel muttered, like she often did to Adeeda, shaking her head as she thought of how the girl would suddenly appear out of nowhere, an apologetic smirk playing on her lips as she claimed that the adventure had been calling to her, the frequently used phrase "I swear, I couldn't help it!" ringing like a bell through the widow's head.

Adeena would often leave after she saw the opportunity of having some not so risk-free fun, and she would always return with that broad smile on her face, finally allowing Mel to breathe after days, sometimes weeks, of worrying over her safety. Mel would always end up feeling a little foolish for being so overprotective of a girl who'd proven ample of times that she could take perfect care of herself. But the Egyptian wasn't so sure that Adeena was going to return with a smile on her face this time, or that she would ever return in the first place.

Mel never knew what kind of dangers Adeena was about to face whenever she left, but this time the widow did know, and she dearly wished she would have been as clueless as ever, because this knowledge was far from being pleasant. Mel knew everything about the death of Adeena's family, and even more about the ones who'd dirtied their hands with their blood, though she'd never told the girl. The names of the ones guilty of the crime were two Mel would prefer not to speak out loud, for more than just the reason that many believed their souls were possessed by Seth himself.

Back then, two years ago, it had seemed of no further harm, just another random inhuman slaughter the Thief King had put on his name. But when Mishka had been killed, and Adeena had described the murderer of her brother, Mel's breath had stuck in her throat, suddenly realising that this was anything but random. For the woman knew very well that the actions of this assassin, unlike those of the Thief King, always served a well aimed purpose.

"If he got his hands on her..." The woman left the sentence unfinished, the rest being left unsaid, for Mel was terrified to even hear the words from her own mouth, knowing very well what kind of horrific things would happen even though she refused to say it out loud. Sighing, Mel closed her weary eyes, two amethyst pools suddenly appearing before her mind's eye. "What in Ra's name has become of you, Marik Isthar?"

Suddenly the sound of heavy footsteps was heard, two sandaled feet appearing beneath the ragged curtain that served as a door, causing Mel to snap out of her dark thoughts. She quickly wiped away her tears, standing up from where she'd collapsed in anger and despair, ready to call whoever decided to visit her on this early hour now that she'd wiped away the traces of her rare-showing weakness, but the sound of a soft chuckle stopped her, all colour draining from her face as she recognized the rich sound.

A hand was clasped over trembling lips, muffling the soft words of disbelief as a man stepped inside.

"It's hardly surprising to hear his name from your lips."

Mel quickly regained from her shock, her eyes turning hard as she recognized the youth that was now casually leaning against the wall. "No, it's indeed not. Though I find it to be pretty surprising that you have the nerve to set foot in my house, boy." She placed her hands on her hips, silently showing the man that she was no longer dazed from his appearance, though her heart was still heavily thumping in her ribcage.

The smirk that had played on his lips from his earlier amusement, turned into an insincere pout at those words. "Now that's disappointing. I was kind of hoping for the whole big reunion thing."

"Mind me if I'm wrong, but I hardly believe you've come to pay your old mother a little visit after all those months, Diya." Mel's stone expression was anything but insincere as she stared at her son who'd now put his hands up in a defensive motion.

"Now, there's no need to get all catty, mommy dearest. Jeez, you sure know how to ruin the mood. Can't say you're wrong though." His face - which shared a lot of Mel's characteristic - brightened with another smirk of amusement at the mocking words.

One could easily tell that Mel and Diya were related, but except from the sharp features Diya had inherited from his mother, he thanked the rest of his looks to his father, like the striking green eyes, the thick rust coloured locks, and his well-developed physique. Although he'd sure seen more than twenty winters, Diya had a fairly boyish appearance, the impish smirk and the carefree, almost obnoxiously irresponsible air he had around him adding to this. The youth possessed a natural beauty that had already attacked many.

A long hooded cloak hung loosely around his slender body, leaving the caramel coloured skin of his upper chest bare, so that a large scar that ran from his left collar bone to his right side was visible. Only few people knew that the mark was the everlasting result from when Diya had fought to earn the Thief King's respect. Mel was one of those people.

The old woman's eyes automatically wandered to the stamp the tombrobber had left on her son. For Mel it was the proof of her own child's betrayal, for Diya it was a sign of great loyalty and dedication.

"The brat has sent you to check on the circumstances, hasn't he? Is taking care of the petty jobs worth having your body and mind mangled, Diya?"

Mel had turned her back on the redhead, the grief that was suddenly tugging on her heart now that she was so bluntly reminded of what had happened all those months ago, more intense than she'd expected it to be. She thought she'd put herself above it, that she had finally managed to move on. She had been wrong. Nearly ten months ago, five years after Miman - Mel's husband and Diya's father - had died, Diya had left to follow the same path his father had, and joined the Bachiatari no Matsuei (**1)**, the Descendants of the Damned.

The Descendants were a notorious criminal organisation composed of the most feared and powerful criminals of Africa, each member ruthless and completely devoid of any compassion. Miman had been the leader and mastermind behind the crimes of Bachiatari no Matsuei for forty years, bringing together youths that had nothing left in his world but hatred and resentment, and therefore had the right potential to turn into the cold-blooded criminals the man would raise them to be. Tozokuoh Bakura and Marik Ishtar were such boys, and under the cruel wing of Miman, they'd turned into the men that today's inhabitants of Cairo feared more than any injustice the hereafter could bring upon them.

When Miman saw his end was coming near, he'd passed the torch to Bakura, who still ran the group of bandits today.

Mel, who'd always loved this blood-shedding man more than life, had been the mother of the organisation, rather giving in to Miman's cruel intentions than leaving his side, a delusional idea she now considered as the biggest mistake of her life. She'd raised many boys, granting them the motherly love most of them never had, the only traces of morals the criminals knew today being the result of Mel's influence. Though trying to teach them something about the concept of love and friendship would always turn out to be superfluous effort, no matter how young they were, because the childlike ideas of injustice would eventually develop into detailed plans of revenge and bloodshed, like what happened to the ones who had now aimed their evil eyes on Adeena.

Then Mel was blessed with a son herself, and while she couldn't have been any happier, Miman considered the petite Diya - as soon as it became clear that he'd not inherited his father's warrior instinct - as a disgrace to his family, refusing to acknowledge him as his son and to initiate him into the organisation.

When Miman had forced Mel to choose between him and her son, the woman had left with the twelve year old. That's when the criminal mastermind had replaced his son with the strongest and most corrupted boy of the group, the only survivor of Kul Elna massacre. The rest was history.

Diya's pose was all but laid-back as he strode further into the room, his eyes harsh with sudden anger. "Don't you speak of matters you know nothing of, woman!"

Mel, her back still facing the now angered youth, smiled to herself. "Foolish kid," she began as she turned around to face Diya, his expression fuming. "You remind me of a certain blonde boy who'd always stand up to defend your father's honor. In the end his loyalty end endless dedication were thrown back in his face when another boy walked away with the reward." Mel's eyes were shining with something Diya couldn't quite place as he looked at her, pity maybe? "Marik Isthar didn't get any recognition in the end, Diya. His hero, his idol, the one he gladly shed his blood and tears for, turned his back on him when he chose Bakura as his successor."

Mel's expression also turned hard as she looked her son in the eye. "Oh yes," she said as she saw the blatant surprise on her son's face. "I know more than you ever will." She paused.

"If you're waiting for approval, you're not going to get it, that privilege is only reserved for the strongest. You were never part of that group, Diya, and you never will be."

Something snapped inside the redhead. "Shut up!" In a sudden flash his hand moved inside his cloak, and before Mel could even comprehend what was going on she was shoved against the wall, the cold metal of a blade pressed against the side of her neck, drawing some blood as Diya was blinded by blazing rage. "Just. shut. up." His teeth were gritted, his breath heavy as his emotions flooded at being reminded of the rejection of his own father.

Despite the situation Mel laughed straight in the man's face, having expected this reaction even before he pulled his sword. She calmly let Diya's anger wash over her, as she'd often done when her husband worked off his feelings on her. "I think Miman finally fulfilled his ambition. With pulling the sword on your mother you truly reached the level that's asked from a Descendant." Mel's laughter ceased. "You must be _so _proud of yourself, son."

Diya's iron grip on the hilt softened, as did the look in his eyes. He suddenly understood. His father had rejected him in order to awaken an intense anger, anger that would eventually drive him to become stronger, to fight for acceptance. Even in his death Miman, the former King of Thieves, was capable of moulding his men into the brutal warriors he wanted them to be.

"As you see, Adeena is no longer here. Now you've finished checking on the circumstances, please get out of my face." Mel's voice was soft, but the undertone was clear nevertheless.

Diya averted his gaze, unable to look the woman in the eye, and lowered his sword. Without a second glance he turned his back on his mother and left, not seeing the tears that she shed as she saw another man walking into the claws of the Bachiatari no Matsuei.

Outside, Diya sheathed his sword, pushing a turmoil of unwanted emotions to the back of his head, trying to be as proud as his father would have been. He turned around the corner, getting on the horse he knew he would find there in one nimble movement.

"Did everything go as planned?"

"The woman is of no futher concern."

Diya barely noted the nod of approval, which suddenly didn't mean as much as it had done before. He pulled the hood over his head, concealing his troubled expression from sight, and silently followed the man in front of him, his hero, his idol, thinking over the words of the woman, and about how a certain blonde had ended up.

* * *

A loud howl of protest was heard, followed by a string of muffled profanities that were bound to make at least half of her ancestors turn over in their graves. 

Adeena struggled as she was roughly tied to an enormous black horse, her stomach painfully colliding with the animal's back as her abductor carelessly tossed her onto the thing. "Hey, watch it! Once I get my hands on you I swear I'll--mpff!" Adeena didn't get the change to finish her sentence when her head was pushed into the animal's side, the disturbing reek and taste of the fur assaulting her nose and mouth as the blonde shoved her head a little harder for personal amusement.

"Thank Ra, I finally found a way to shut that trap." The blonde commented, grinning as he tied Adeena up to the horse as if she was extra luggage. In the eyes of that sadist she probably was.

It had been hours since she'd regained consciousness, the obstinacy she'd decided to annoy him with having soon ended when he'd smacked her across the face with the hilt of his sword, the statement that he looked pretty feminine for a criminal clearly being ill-received by the blonde. Oh well, denting that ego of his has been fun while it lasted, though she had to pay for it with a split lip and another severe headache.

Knowing that lightheadedness definitely wasn't going to work in her advantage, Adeena decided to just keep quiet for now, thinking of a way to get herself out of this mess. Currently things weren't looking that fortunate, and being tied to this fetid horse was a position she wouldn't be able to free herself from any time soon. The fact that her arm was still throbbing in a slightly disturbing manner wasn't doing any good for her either. From the looks of it, he was getting ready to leave, which slightly panicked the youth. He'd been cursing a certain Tuzokuoh for being late and leaving him with a madwoman for the past few minutes, and Adeena doubted he was going to wait for the person any longer. Ra knew how far he'd take her away from the city, and when she was in an unknown territory, her chance of escape came pretty close to being nil.

"Where will you take me?" Adeena rolled her eyes in irritation when she didn't get a reply. "Dammit, I'm talking to you!"

The man turned around in blatant irritation, his jaw clenched as he clasped his hand over his face in annoyance. "You better thank Ra on your bare knees that there are certain people who want to keep you alive, girl, because I would've put your damned corpse under the ground a long time ago! I don't, however, recall any orders concerning your tongue, so if you value it you might want to shut up."

From the look in his eyes Adeena could tell he was serious, and she bit her tongue in order to keep her thoughts to herself. She suddenly had to think of Aki, and how he always managed to annoy her with his constant questioning about her plans. She closed her eyes to fight back the hot wetness that began to sting in her eyes, wishing that she hadn't sent him into such a big danger. The thought that she might be responsible for any harm the Thief King had done to him made her dizzy with regret.

"What did the Thief King do with the boy?" Her voice was thick with emotion, and the trembling in the words wasn't left unnoticed by the man.

With his back still turned towards Adeena he smiled to himself, slowly turning around to look at the broken female.

"That brat you sent into the brothel?" He inched closer towards Adeena, his smile increasing when he saw her reaction to his choice of words. "As far as I'm concerned he's still alive." Adeena gave an audible sigh, visibly relaxing when she heard this. "But I've been wrong with my partner before." He stopped in front of Adeena and squatted down, his eyes locking with hers. The hate and cruel intent he'd read in them before had mostly faded, concern and worry were visible instead. Adeena could see nothing more than apathy.

"Listen kid, I've been watching you for a while. Yes," He added when he saw the youth's confused expression. "That's right. I've been very close to you ever since the event with your brother. You're not stupid, I've seen how you manage. With your intellect I'd say you're smart enough to start thinking straight, before you get yourself into things you really don't want to go girl. What you're involved in is a bigger thing than you could ever imagine."

Adeena could do nothing more than stare at the man, shocked with the fact that he'd been so close around. She felt humiliated, knowing that the skills she thought she possessed had failed her. He'd finally given away the first information, but it didn't even reach her completely.

"Has that ego of yours finally cracked, or did the information hit in too hard?" He paused to flash another smirk. "If you only knew half the truth you wouldn't open that trap of yours again, even if you wanted to. It's a damn shame you can't be filled in, eh?" This time he laughed out loud, the look in his eyes telling that truth indeed wasn't all that pleasant.

"The bottom line is, I know you, your ways and your weaknesses. That hapless sense of sympathy of yours is probably the worst." He spoke about the feeling with such contempt and disgust Adeena doubted that this man had ever felt any sympathy himself. That, along with the frightening idea that this man knew so much about her made cold shivers run down her spine.

How couldn't she have noticed him?

"You hardly care for yourself, the only thing that fuels you is avenging your brother's death, but what did you have in mind after you've accomplished that goal? You've already been neglecting both your mind and body after I took the last thing that truly mattered to you. You live only to accomplish, you can only survive when having a certain thing to hang on to. And we both know those things are running short." He paused to take a deep look into Adeena's eyes, the girl looking away in shame when he caught her gaze; they both knew he was right.

While he spoke, a big lump had gotten stuck in her throat, and a disturbing heavy weigh had settled itself in her stomach, the fact that this man talked about her as if he knew her better than she knew herself scaring her beyond what her stressed mind could bear at the moment.

"Soon you'll serve a good purpose."

The words were left hanging in the air like a foreboding haze, and the blonde nimbly got on the horse behind her, tightly pressing his heels into the horse's side that sprinted off into the vast wasteland of Egypt. As Adeena watched her beloved city disappear in the distance, her heart ached with fear and regret, but anger over her failure. The hatred towards herself because she'd let her loved ones down was the overpowering force that rushed through her veins. The dagger was blazing hot on her skin, making the emotions stronger until they roared through every fibre of her being. It was when the place where all her memories lied, the place that held the things that made her cling on to her faith, the place that kept her going had completely faded into the distance, the woman promised herself that she'd force everyone and everything out of her way in order to get her revenge.

She would not serve any other purpose than making up for what happened to her family, the anger and hate that were now stronger than ever fuelling, and assuring Adeena that the only way to stop her was to rip the very life out of her. And if Adeena had been aware of the events that were about to unfold themselves, she would've know that such feelings, such intense determination driven by nothing but hate and long lost love were exactly the things that had brought this fate upon her. But by the time the youth would find this out, it might be already too late.

* * *

(1) Yes I'm aware that the name is Japanese, but my Arabian is quite rusty. And it sounded cool, so..yeah. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed the read. Please review, I'd highly appreciate it. Here's a link to a picture of Diya, or how I imagine him anyways. He's a hottie!

http:// www. sheezyart. com /view/ 299165/ (remove the spaces after you copied it!)

has produced some drool-a-licious kid, huh!?

REVIEW!


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